by Joe Barbito
BOSTON, MA – The Northeastern women’s hockey team won their final regular season home game of the season, dominating the Merrimack Warriors behind a shutout performance from senior goaltender Brianna Storms.
Three different Huskies got on the scoresheet, including junior Andrea Renner who had a goal and an assist. Storms was given her first collegiate start for her senior night; she was originally going to be pulled after the first to allow fellow senior goaltender Brittany Bugalski to play the remainder of the game, but after Storms’ performance in the opening frame her teammate went to bat for her to stay in.
Neither team would score in the opening frame despite Northeastern committing four minor penalties. Two of those penalties came 20 seconds apart, but the Huskies were able to kill the extended multi-skater disadvantage.
At 1:45 in the first period sophomore forward Veronika Pettey tallied her 16th goal of the year and freshman forward Chloe Aurard earned the lone assist for her 17th helper.
At the 5:57 mark of the second, freshman forward Alina Mueller was in the perfect position to receive a feed from Renner from outside the slot. Mueller, skating directly in front of the Merrimack goal, shoved the puck to the far side of the net and extended the lead to two.
The final tally of the evening would come at 3:56 into the third. Renner was the recipient of some good forechecking and puck movement from Northeastern. She ended up skating into the slot with the puck and rifling a shot top shelf as she fell to her knees.
Storms recorded a 21 save shutout was honored before the game with fellow seniors Kasidy Anderson, Maddie Hartman, Tori Sullivan and Brittany Bugalski.
The Huskies will play the Warriors again tomorrow in North Andover for their regular season finale.